What's Required: Early identification and assessment of disabilities in children means “the implementation of a formal plan for identifying a disability as early as possible in a child’s life.” [34 CFR §300.24(b)(3)] Early intervention is the process of providing services, education and support to young children who are deemed to have an established condition, those who are evaluated and deemed to have a diagnosed physical or mental condition (with a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay), an existing delay or special need that may affect their development or impede their education. The purpose of early intervention is to lessen the effects of the disability or delay. Services are designed to identify and meet a child's needs in five developmental areas, including: (a) physical development, (b) cognitive development, (c) communication, (d) social or emotional development, and (e) adaptive development.
Federal and state regulations require service providers hold appropriate certification and/or licensure for their respective fields. It is recommended that the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) make decisions concerning early identification and assessment of disabilities based on the referral needs of the child. What To Do:
The ECI agencies will coordinate a meeting with the school district no less than 120 days prior to the child’s third birth date. This is called a “Transition Meeting.”
The agency and the school district will discuss the options the parent(s)/guardian may consider for further intervention services and/or special education in the district.
Should the decision be to pursue an evaluation through the school district, evaluation staff and/or campus personnel will contact the parent/guardian to schedule an appointment to complete a referral and schedule an appointment for the evaluation.
State law mandates that referrals received from an ECI agency meet the 3 is 3 requirements.
The statute states that a child with a suspected disability must be identified and placed in an appropriate special education program no later than their third birth date.
Anyone can make a referral including, but are not limited to, Head Start, parents, physicians, nurses, mental health practitioners, other state and/or local agencies.
Under IDEA, early intervention services must include a multidisciplinary evaluation and assessment, using a variety of instruments including parental report and observation, and specific services designed to meet the unique developmental and/or functional needs of the child.
Evaluation and assessments are provided at no cost to the parent.
Evaluation refers to the process used by the multidisciplinary team (qualified people with training and experience in the areas of speech and language skills, physical abilities, hearing and vision, and other important areas of development) to find out whether or not a child has a disability condition(s) and is eligible for special education services.
Related Services
Related services are not provided as stand-alone supports; therefore, several of the disabilities that qualify a child/adult student for either early intervention or special education services have additional requirements.
These may include but are not limited to a signed, written report from a physician which describes the current health status and gives any medical implications of the impairment.
An appropriate medical evaluation can, and often, should be a part of the process.
The method of assessment must be tailored to the specific need of the child/adult student.As part of the evaluation, the multidisciplinary team will observe, interact, and use a variety of tools or methods to gather information on the child.
These procedures will help the team find out how a child learns and/or functions.
The team will then meet with the parent to discuss whether the findings mean that the child is eligible for services under IDEA and TEA regulations.
Service Delivery Models
They can range from prescribing glasses for a two-year-old to developing a comprehensive approach with a variety of services and special instruction for a child, including home visits, counseling, and training for his or her family.
Depending on the child’s needs, his or her early intervention services may include:
Occupational therapy
Physical therapy
Psychological services
Medical services (only for diagnostic or evaluation purposes)
Health services needed to enable your child to benefit from the other services
Social work services
Assistive technology devices and services
Transportation
Examples of Early Identification and Assessment of Disabilities Activities
Individual evaluation to facilitate coordination of services includes:
Assessments
Medical records (physicians notes, swallow studies, etc.)
Physician’s requests
Occupational therapy evaluations from ECI and/or private sector
Physical therapy evaluations from ECI and/or private sector
Early identification and assessment of disabilities in children means “the implementation of a formal plan for identifying a disability as early as possible in a child’s life.” [34 CFR §300.24(b)(3)] Early intervention is the process of providing services, education and support to young children who are deemed to have an established condition, those who are evaluated and deemed to have a diagnosed physical or mental condition (with a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay), an existing delay or special need that may affect their development or impede their education. The purpose of early intervention is to lessen the effects of the disability or delay. Services are designed to identify and meet a child's needs in five developmental areas, including: (a) physical development, (b) cognitive development, (c) communication, (d) social or emotional development, and (e) adaptive development.
Federal and state regulations require service providers hold appropriate certification and/or licensure for their respective fields. It is recommended that the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) make decisions concerning early identification and assessment of disabilities based on the referral needs of the child.
What To Do:
State law mandates that referrals received from an ECI agency meet the 3 is 3 requirements.
Evaluation Criteria/Process
Related Services
Service Delivery Models
Examples of Early Identification and Assessment of Disabilities Activities
Individual evaluation to facilitate coordination of services includes:
ADDITIONAL FORMS
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES